Irish Single Fathers Unable to Accommodate for Children

Irish Single Fathers Unable to Accommodate for Children

Some Irish fathers are getting limited contact with their children, unable to accommodate from their tight living spaces.

Kerryman.ie writer Brendan McCarthy notes that the Kerry County Council has heard from a number of single fathers who live in one-bedroom homes, and are not eligible for rent allowance. The situation is hard on fathers – but also tough for kids. The children want to stay with their fathers, but there just isn’t enough room to do so. McCarthy notes that there are “currently 362 men on the Housing Waiting List in Kerry, 172 of whom are aged between 35 and 55 years.”

Kerry County Councilman Danny Healy-Rae called for the council to consider single and separated fathers when allotting accommodations. Healy-Rae mentioned that more often than not, in legal separation and divorce, the wive keeps the family’s home, and receives custody of the children. Another Councilman, Michael Cahill, mentioned that younger single men tend to be “at the bottom of the pile on the housing list.”